System and method of complimentary day/night children&#39;s skin cream compositions

ABSTRACT

A new skin care system includes day and night skin cream compositions comprising nutrients and antioxidants for use by children between six months and eighteen years of age. The day skin cream composition provides protection from UV radiation and the night skin cream composition contains no sun protection ingredients and elevated levels of nutrients and antioxidants. A child-friendly bottle for each composition can be used by young children without difficulty. A fragrance included in each composition is popular with children, and the bottle for the day composition has graphics indicating day-time use and the bottle for the night composition has graphics indicating night-time use. The day composition is applied topically each day to the face after tooth-brushing, and the night composition is applied topically to the face each night after tooth-brushing.

This application is a continuation which claims the benefit of U.S.application Ser. No. 14/506,081 filed Oct. 3, 2014, which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/262,165 filed Apr. 25,2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,894,978, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/310,455 filed Dec. 2, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No.8,747,817, which claims priority to Provisional Application No.61/418,940, filed Dec. 2, 2010, all of which are incorporated byreference herein.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to skin care and cosmeticcompositions therefor, and more particularly to systems of complementaryskin care products designed specifically for children.

Skin damage accumulates over a lifetime, beginning during infancy andbuilding over childhood and adulthood until the cumulative effectsresult in serious diseases and disorders like skin cancer and/or seriousaesthetic and functional damage to the skin. The main effect of sundamage and neglect, other than hyper-pigmentation and cancer, is toseriously degrade a person's appearance over time.

Children's skin differs from that of adults and changes over the courseof childhood. Infant skin is softer and more prone to irritation andloss of moisture, while older children are prone to acne. It isdifficult to get children to follow personal care regimens. Children maynot like the appearance, smell, etc. of adult products, which also maynot be properly formulated for children and can be harmful to them.Children may lack the motor skill or motivation to follow more complexor time-consuming care regimens.

Needs exist for improved skin care formulations, systems, and methods.

SUMMARY

It is to be understood that both the following summary and the detaileddescription are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to providefurther explanation of the invention as claimed. Neither the summary northe description that follows is intended to define or limit the scope ofthe invention to the particular features mentioned in the summary or inthe description.

In certain embodiments, the disclosed embodiments may include one ormore of the features described herein.

A new skincare system and method utilizes complementary day and nightskin cream formulations designed specifically for use by children agessix months to eighteen years. The complementary creams work together toproduce a result greater than would be achieved by using either oneseparately or in conjunction with different products. The creams areformulated without harsh chemicals that could be damaging to the skin ofyoung children and with largely natural ingredients. They and theirpackaging are designed to have an appearance, feel and scent that isattractive to children across a wide age range and are designed for asimple method of use that works within the existing personal care habitsof children. The use of this system and method prevents the accumulationof skin damage over childhood, greatly improving the health andappearance of the skin over the user's lifetime.

A new system includes day and night skin cream compositions comprisingnutrients and antioxidants for use by children between six months andeighteen years of age. The day skin cream composition providesprotection from UV radiation and the night skin cream compositioncontains no sun protection ingredients and elevated levels of nutrientsand antioxidants.

In one embodiment, there is a child-friendly bottle for each compositionthat can be used by young children without difficulty, both compositionsinclude deionized water, capric triglyceride, shea butter, sunflowerseed oil, vegetable glycerin, borage seed oil, cetearyl alcohol andglucoside, glyceryl stearate, xanthan gum, benzyl alcohol, fragrance,Vitamin E, aloe vera barbadensis leaf juice, and blueberry extract, theday composition also includes zinc oxide and T-lite SF-S and has an SPFof at least 20, and the nighttime composition also includes stearicacid. The fragrance is popular with children, and the bottle for the daycomposition has graphics indicating day-time use and the bottle for thenight composition has graphics indicating night-time use.

In a new method of using the new system, the day composition is appliedtopically in the morning and the night composition is applied topicallyat night. In one embodiment, the day composition is applied topicallyeach day to the face after tooth-brushing, and the night composition isapplied topically to the face each night after tooth-brushing.

These and other objectives and features of the invention are apparent inthe disclosure, which includes the above and ongoing writtenspecification.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A complementary day/night skin cream system formulation and method willnow be disclosed in terms of various exemplary embodiments. Thisspecification discloses one or more embodiments that incorporatefeatures of the invention. The embodiment(s) described, and referencesin the specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “an exampleembodiment”, etc., indicate that the embodiment(s) described may includea particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Such phrases are notnecessarily referring to the same embodiment. When a particular feature,structure, or characteristic is described in connection with anembodiment, persons skilled in the art may effect such feature,structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodimentswhether or not explicitly described.

Skin is the largest organ of the human body and plays a vital role inpreventing infection, protecting the body from radiation, physicaltrauma, and other environmental hazards, and otherwise maintaining thehealth of an individual. Of course, skin also presents the outwardappearance of a person, and as such is critical to others' perceptionsof a person as youthful, beautiful, etc.

The skin protects the rest of the human body by shielding it andabsorbing the damaging effects of physical and environmental trauma. Assuch, over time the skin tends to accumulate damage and to degrade, aswell as to naturally age, developing wrinkles, unattractive marksincluding scars, blemishes, and hyper-pigmentation, and potentiallycancerous cells, and losing elasticity and moisture.

However, skin health can be maintained in part by application ofappropriate topical compositions, including moisturizers and nutrients,which are absorbed into the skin, as well as by proper diet andexercise. Sunscreens help to prevent sun damage, a major cause of skindeterioration. While skin heath tends to be of greatest concern to agingpeople and to women, in fact skin health is of great importance topeople of all ages and races and to both men and women. The accumulationof skin damage begins in childhood. Therefore, to best maintain healthyskin over a lifetime, skin maintenance should begin during childhood.

A new skin care system and method uses daytime and nighttimeformulations and is designed for children from 6 months to 18 years ofage, for daily and nightly use to protect the skin from sun damage andmaintain skin health. In specific embodiments, the daytime formulationis SPF 21.33 and also includes ingredients to nourish the skin and thenighttime formulation has extra antioxidants to overnourish the skin.The formulations have a consistency, feel, and smell that children like.Daytime formulation ingredients include deionized water, caprictriglyceride, shea butter, sunflower seed oil, vegetable glycerin,borage seed oil, cetearyl alcohol and glucoside, glyceryl stearate,xanthan gum, benzyl alcohol, fragrance, Vitamin E, aloe vera barbadensisleaf juice, blueberry extract, zinc oxide, and T-lite SF-S. Nighttimeformulation ingredients include the same, with the exception of z-coteand T-lite SF-S (sunscreen ingredients) and the addition of stearicacid, although in differing concentrations. In some embodiments, thenighttime formulation also includes sweet almond oil, cucumber extract,and acai berry extract. In some embodiments, the nighttime formulationalso includes coffee bean extract.

This system starts with children at a young age and teaches them how totake care of their skin and the importance of skin health. Instead oftrying to undo the effects of age and sun damage after they haveoccurred, this system slows the skin's aging process and preventsenvironmental damage from occurring in the first place. The two-stepsystem of complementary day and night formulations ensures that theoptimal formulation is being used at all times. The daytime formulationhas SPF factors as well as other skin nutrients, but the nighttimeformulation has a much stronger concentration of antioxidants andmoisturizers, and does not have the SPF ingredients.

Typically, sunscreen is applied only during high sun activities such asthe beach, pool, etc. While some cosmetics include some SPF protection,generally males do not use such products, and neither do children. Sundamage accumulates on a daily basis from everyday activities likedriving or riding in a car, walking to school or to lunch, playingoutside, such as at recess, etc. This is when the majority of sunexposure and sun damage occurs.

In this new daily skin care regimen, the day/night system is applied inthe morning before leaving the house and at night when the sun is downand/or the child will not be leaving the house. The formulations areapplied topically to the user's face, which is rarely covered byclothing and typically accumulates the most damage, yet is also the mostcritical to appearance. The formulations may also be applied to othervulnerable areas, such as the backs of the hands or forearms. The dayformulation includes SPF for protection against sun damage, while thenight formula does not, instead having a stronger concentration ofnutrients. Nutrients such as vitamins and antioxidants improve overallskin health and help prevent or repair damage from the sun and from freeradicals, maintaining skin elasticity and preventing the development oflines and wrinkles.

The system makes sense and is extremely practical. The high-antioxidantnight crème can be applied by a child in approximately 10 seconds afterthey brush their teeth at night, and the moderate-SPF day formulationcan be applied in the morning after they brush. This provides great skinnourishment and protection to give the user more beautiful skin andprotect against one of the fastest occurring cancers today, skin cancer.

This first daily skin care regimen for children protects, hydrates, andhelps prevent skin damage and premature aging. After years of researchand development, the formulations have been optimized to provide thevery best skin care for youths of all ages. The system deliversprotection, hydration, and prevention (PHP) in one simple processutilizing the very best ingredients.

In certain embodiments, various features of the formulations ensuretheir attractiveness to children. Scents which have been shown intesting to be popular scents with children are applied to theformulations to ensure that a majority of children like the scent, whichis an important factor in getting children to use a product, much moreso than for adults. For the nighttime formula graphics of moons andstars are attractive and provide an immediate indication that theproduct is for bedtime use. For the daytime formula, graphics of the sunprovide an immediate indication that the daytime formula is to be usedat the start of each day. The bottles are kid-friendly for easyself-application.

Because application is incorporated into existing morning/bedtimeroutines, the system becomes part of a child's way of life. Parents caneducate their children on the importance of protecting their skinsimilarly to the importance of brushing their teeth at night beforebedtime and when they awake. Establishing a habit of use is veryimportant to delivering PHP for children.

Due to the complementary nature of the night and day creams, the nightcream typically has substantially more water, more antioxidants andnutrients and less skin conditioning agents than the day cream, andunlike the day cream will have no sunscreen ingredients. It alsotypically requires a higher level of emulsifiers and the like formaintaining the product in solution in a desired texture and appearance.In certain embodiments, the day cream may have about 60% by weightwater, about 30-35% skin conditioning agents, about 6% sunscreeningredients, and less than 0.5% of antioxidant and nutrient-richingredients, all by weight. In contrast, the night cream may have about75% water, 15-20% skin conditioning agents, and about 0.4% to 1%antioxidant and nutrient rich ingredients and no sunscreen ingredients.In certain embodiments, the day cream may have 50-65% water, 20-40% skinconditioning agents, 5-10% sunscreen ingredients, and less than 0.5%antioxidant and nutrient-rich ingredients, while the night cream mayhave 65-80% water, 10-20% skin conditioning agents, and 0.3 to 1.5%antioxidant and nutrient-rich ingredients. The pH of the night cream maybe about 2.5 below that of the day cream. The pH of the day cream may insome embodiments be 7-8 and the pH of the night cream may be 4.5-5.5.The pH of the day cream may be in some embodiments 6.5-8.5 and the pH ofthe night cream may be 4-6.5.

Vitamin E, blueberry extract, and acai berry extract can generally beconsidered antioxidant and nutrient-rich ingredients, while cetearylalcohol, stearate, xanthan gum, DHA and benzyl alcohol are emulsifiers,surfactants, or preservatives. Capric triglyceride, shea butter,sunflower seed oil, vegetable glycerol, borage seed oil, vitamin E, aloebarbadensis leaf juice, cucumber extract and sweet almond oil are skinconditioners.

Exemplary Formulations & Batching Day Cream:

Phase Ingredient % by WT A Deionized water 58.5500 B Caprylic/CapricTriglyceride 15.0000 B Shea Butter 0.5000 B Sunflower Seed Oil 8.0000 AVegetable Glycerin 99.7% USP 6.0000 B Borage Seed Oil 2.5000 B CetearylAlcohol and Cetearyl Glucoside 0.5000 B Glyceryl Stearate 0.5000 CXanthan Gum 0.5000 D Benzyl Alcohol/DHA 1.0000 D Fragrance (Bell-Aire#40534) 0.5000 D Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E) 0.1500 D Aloe VeraBarbadensis Leaf Juice 0.1500 D Blueberry Extract 0.1500 B Z-Cote (ZincOxide) 3.0000 B T-Lite SF-S (Titanium Dioxide, Hydrated Silica, 3.0000Dimethicone/Methicone Copolymer and Almuinum Hydroxide

Capric triglyceride is an oily liquid made from coconut oil that slowsloss of water from the skin by forming a barrier on the skin's surfaceand alters the thickness of the solution. Shea butter, derived from thesheatree, is a skin conditioning agent and viscosity increasing agentthat enhances the appearance of dry or damaged skin by reducing flakingand restoring suppleness and that slows the loss of water from the skin.Sunflower seed oil is a skin conditioning agent that enhances theappearance of dry or damaged skin by reducing flaking and restoringsuppleness and that slows the loss of water from the skin. Vegetableglycerol is a sugar alcohol that increases the water content of the toplayers of skin by drawing moisture from the surrounding air, and is alsoa skin protectant and viscosity decreasing agent. Borage seed oil is aplant seed oil that restores moisture and smoothness to dry and damagedskin and reduces inflammation. Cetearyl alcohol and cetearyl glucosidekeep an emulsion from separating into its oil and liquid components.Glyceryl stearate acts as a lubricant on the skin's surface, giving theskin a soft and smooth appearance and slowing the loss of water from theskin by forming a barrier. It helps to form emulsions by reducing thesurface tension of the substances that are emulsified. Xanthan gum is abinder, emulsion stabilizer, and surfactant and increases viscosity.Benzyl alcohol is a solvent, preservative, and viscosity decreasingagent. DHA is a preservative. Vitamin E is an antioxidant and helps toenhance the appearance of dry or damaged skin by reducing flaking andrestoring suppleness. Aloe barbadensis leaf juice helps to enhance theappearance of dry or damaged skin by reducing flaking and restoringsuppleness. Blueberry fruit extract contains many antioxidants andnutrients.

Batching:

1) Combine phase A and B separately while mixing and heat to 80-85° C.

-   -   2) When the oil phase (B) is totally melted, ensure that Z-Cote        and T-Lite SF-S is mixed in. Then sprinkle Xanthan Gum (phase C)        into the oil phase.    -   3) Then add Phase A into Phase B/C. Continue to keep the        temperature at 85° C.    -   4) Add back the water (q.s. to 100% by weight to replace water        loss from heat)    -   5) Then homogenize the batch with the homogenizer (lab scale is        approx. 3-5 minutes)    -   6) Switch back to mixing speed at low-medium speed    -   7) Turn heat off and continue mixing until it cools to 45-50° C.    -   8) Add Phase D (preservative and Aloe Vera juice)    -   9) Continue to mix until the batch is homogenous and temperature        reaches 35-40° C. Stop mixer and evaluate.

The resulting product is an opaque emulsified lotion having a pH of7.00-8.00, % solids of 38.4-42.4% (105 C, 1 hr), viscosity of9,000-17,000 cps, and specific gravity of 0.940-1.040 gm/ml.

The most important aspect of the day cream is SPF protection. Sun damageis the single largest cause of skin cancer and of deleterious changes toskin appearance and most children are exposed to the sun daily whenplaying outside, being driven to activities, etc. The most sun damageaccumulates in the face, where appearance is most important. This daycream is formulated to complement a night cream that over-nourishes theskin with large amounts of antioxidants and a low pH over night, freeingthe day cream to contain high levels of sunscreen ingredients andresulting in a high SPF while maintaining a desirable appearance andtexture and moisturizing properties.

Night Cream:

Phase Ingredient % by WT A Deionized water 76.5 B Caprylic/CapricTriglyceride 4.5000 B Shea Butter 0.7500 B Sunflower Seed Oil 3.5000 BStearic acid 2.0000 A Vegetable Glycerin 99.7% USP 4.0000 B Borage SeedOil 2.5000 B Cetearyl Alcohol and Cetearyl Glucoside 2.0000 B GlycerylStearate 1.5000 C Xanthan Gum 0.9000 E Benzyl Alcohol/DHA 0.5000 DFragrance (Bell-Aire #40534) 0.5000 D Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E)0.1000 D Aloe Vera Barbadensis Leaf Juice 0.1500 D Blueberry Extract0.1500 D Sweet Almond Oil 0.1500 D Cucumber Melon Extract 0.1500 D AcaiBerry Extract 0.1500

Stearic acid is a surfactant cleansing and emulsifying agent that cleansskin by helping water mix with oil and dirt so that they can be rinsedaway and that helps to form emulsions by reducing surface tension.Cucumber melon extract is a skin conditioning agent that acts as alubricant on the skin surface and gives the skin a soft and smoothappearance and enhances the appearance of dry or damaged skin byreducing flaking and restoring suppleness. Sweet almond oil acts as alubricant on the skin surface, giving the skin a soft and smoothappearance. Acai berry extract contains a high level of antioxidants andnutrients.

Batching:

-   -   1) Add water and glycerin into main beaker. Turn mixer on until        a vortex forms.    -   2) Sprinkle xanthan gum into the vortex. Increase the mixing        speed as xanthan gum goes into solution.    -   3) Continue mixing until xanthan gum is free of clumps and        homogenous    -   4) While mixing, in a separate beaker, add all the content of        Phase B (oil phase)    -   5) Turn heat on and heat both phases up to 60-65° C.    -   6) Pour the content of oil phase (phase B) into phase A (main        beaker)    -   7) Turn heat off and continue mixing until the main batch cools        down to 40-45° C.    -   8) Then add the content of Phase D. Continue mixing.    -   9) Then add Phase E, preservative. Continue mixing for approx.        30 minutes or until the batch is homogenous. Stop mixer and take        a sample for analysis.

The resulting product is an opaque emulsified lotion having a pH of4.5-5.5, % solids of 20.7-22.9% (105 C, 1 hr), viscosity of 9,800-18,000cps, and specific gravity of 0.910-1.000 gm/ml.

The night cream over-nourishes the skin with a high concentration ofantioxidants and natural nutrients and moisturizes the skin overnightwhen the body tends to become dehydrated. Because it is for night useonly, sunblock does not need to be included, and absorption ofantioxidants and nutrients is greatest at night where the ingredientsare less prone to deterioration due to exposure to the sun and theelements. Because it is designed to be used with a day cream having ahigh SPF and neutral pH, but lower levels of antioxidants, the nightcream does not need high levels of ingredients to repair sun-damaged orvery dry skin, but does need to supply a high level of antioxidants toprovide extended protection for the user and has a low pH to rebuild andmaintain the user's acid mantle (acidic layer) to protect against acneand other infections. Younger children may not have an acid mantle, andthis low pH will help to counteract their greater susceptibility toinfection. The cream also maintains the skin's proper moisture level.

The invention is not limited to the particular embodiments describedabove in detail. Those skilled in the art will recognize that otherarrangements could be devised, for example, using various concentrationsof the ingredients and using various ingredient substitutions,subtractions, or additions to achieve varying textures, etc. While theinvention has been described with reference to specific illustrativeembodiments, modifications and variations of the invention may beconstructed without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim:
 1. A skin care method for preventing damage to the skin ofchildren, comprising: applying a day/night children's skin care systemto a child's skin every day, wherein the day/night children's skin caresystem consists of complementary day and night skin cream compositionscomprising nutrients and antioxidants that are safe to be used bychildren between six months and eighteen years of age; wherein applyingthe day/night children's skin care system every day comprises applyingthe day skin cream composition topically to the child's skin eachmorning before leaving the house, the day skin cream compositionproviding protection from UV radiation with physical sunscreeningredients only; and wherein applying the day/night children's skincare system every day further comprises applying the night skin creamcomposition topically to the child's skin each evening before the childgoes to bed, the night skin cream composition containing no sunprotection ingredients and higher levels of water and nutrients andantioxidants than the day skin cream composition.
 2. The method of claim1, wherein the day skin cream composition comprises 50-65% water, 20-40%skin conditioning agents, 5-10% physical sunscreen ingredients, and lessthan 0.5% antioxidant and nutrient-rich ingredients by weight and thenight skin cream composition comprises 65-80% water, 10-20% skinconditioning agents, and 0.3 to 1.5% antioxidant and nutrient-richingredients by weight.
 3. The skin care method of claim 1, whereinapplying the day skin cream composition before leaving the housecomprises applying the day skin cream composition after tooth-brushing,and wherein applying the night skin cream composition comprises applyingthe night skin cream composition after tooth-brushing.
 4. The skin caremethod of claim 1, wherein the day and night compositions are appliedtopically to a child of six months of age.
 5. A skin care compositionfor preventing damage to the skin of children, comprising: a day/nightchildren's skin care system consisting of complementary day and nightskin cream compositions comprising nutrients and antioxidants that aresafe to be used by children between six months and eighteen years of ageand are used in combination to protect against skin damage; wherein theday skin cream composition provides protection from UV radiation;wherein the night skin cream composition contains no sun protectioningredients and higher levels of water and nutrients and antioxidantsthan in the day skin cream composition; wherein the day skin creamcomposition comprises 50-65% water, 20-40% skin conditioning agents,5-10% physical sunscreen ingredients, and less than 0.5% antioxidant andnutrient-rich ingredients by weight, and the night skin creamcomposition comprises 65-80% water, 10-20% skin conditioning agents, and0.3 to 1.5% antioxidant and nutrient-rich ingredients by weight.
 6. Theskin care composition of claim 5, wherein the complementary day andnight skin cream compositions are safe to be used by children six monthsof age.
 7. The skin care system of claim 5, further comprising achild-friendly bottle for each composition that can be used by youngchildren without difficulty, wherein the bottle for the day compositioncomprises graphics indicating day-time use and the bottle for the nightcomposition comprises graphics indicating night-time use.
 8. A skin carecomposition for preventing damage to the skin of children, comprising: aday/night children's skin care system consisting of complementary dayand night skin cream compositions comprising nutrients and antioxidantsthat are safe to be used by children between six months and eighteenyears of age and are used in combination to protect against skin damage;wherein the day skin cream composition provides protection from UVradiation with physical sunscreen ingredients only; wherein the nightskin cream composition contains no sun protection ingredients and higherlevels of water and nutrients and antioxidants than in the day skincream composition.
 9. The skin care composition of claim 8, wherein thecomplementary day and night skin cream compositions are safe to be usedby children six months of age.